Hinge



Feb. 25, 1936' ADAMS 2,032,078

HINGE Filed Sept. 20, 1933 7 Fig.1 "I F 2 W ly/l i? i2 ATTo Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HINGE Harry D. Adams, Boston, Mass. Application September 20, 1933, Serial No. 690,200

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hinges and more particularly to door hinges of the type that automatically close the door.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a hinge that, when applied to a door or other swinging object, will be free of any automatic control throughout the greater portion of its opening and closing range of movement but which, on a near approach to the closed state of the door will assume control and will automatically and positively swing the door into its closed state. Conversely the construction of the hinge is such that it retains the door closed without the necessity of additional handles or laches that require hand manipulation to hold the ordinary freely swinging door closed. The construction of the hinge which holds the door closed is such, however, that its influence is readily overcome on an application of reasonably slight force applied to the door in a direction to open it.

Accordingly an important feature of the present invention resides in a hinge construction having a movable catch arm on one leaf and a fixed latch or keeper on the other leaf. When the keeper is engaged by the moving catch arm the leaves are automatically drawn together but the engaging parts are constructed and arranged to be free of each other throughout the greater portion of the range of door opening or closing movement. The mounting of the catch arm is such that a disengagement from its keeper is readily obtained. Thus a reasonable force applied, as a pull or push on the door, will cause such disengagement and practically instantaneously transform the hinge into one of the ordinary type for the remainder of its range of opening, that is, permitting uncontrolled movement of the door with no tendency to depart from any position to which it may be opened. Upon moving the door by hand to a position where the catch arm may engage the keeper, these parts take control and automatic closing is effected from that position.

To the accomplishment of this object and such others as may hereinafter appear, as will readily be understood by those skilled in the art, the invention comprises the features and combinations of parts hereinafter described and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The'nature and scope of the invention will be understood from a description of the preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of the new hinge secured to a door and a door jamb, shown in open position with the automatic closing parts disengaged;

Fig. 2 is a view, in elevation, of the door when closed;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the hinge with the door closed to such an angle that automatic control is about to be effected;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the hinge when the door is closed as shown by Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view, in perspective, of the movable 5 toggle or catch arm, detached from the hinge; and

Fig. 6 is a. view, in perspective, of the sliding cradle which carries the toggle member.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated 10 by the drawing It! may represent a. portion of a door and I 2 a portion of a door jamb to which the door is hinged. There may be several hinges of which at least one will embody the automatic closing feature now to be described.

As exemplified by Fig. 1 a jamb leaf I 4 and a door leaf l6 are pivotally connected by a pintle l5 and are seated in rabbets cut into the wood, as usual. The only change, as illustrated, in the jamb leaf l4 over an ordinary hinge is the provision of a relatively short and stiff lug I8 inturned from the outer edge and spaced from the leaf. This lug forms a latch or keeper beneath, which a catch arm 20, carried by the door leaf, may engage.

The door leaf "5, as illustrated, is provided with a pair of inturned lugs 22 at its outer edge, of suilicient length to be somewhat resilient. Each lug 22 is provided with a transverse groove 2| (Figs. 3 and 4) in its under face and near its inner end. The catch arm 20 (Fig. 5) extends at an angle to integral, laterally-extending toggle members 24 which, in efiect, form wings on the catch arm. The toggle members are rounded at both their top and bottom edges. The top toggle edges seat in the two spring-lug grooves 2i and the bottom toggle edges seat in a pair of grooves 23 (Fig. 6) cut in a cradle 26 adapted to slide on the hinge leaf l6 beneath the spring lugs 22. It will be observed from Fig. 1 that the lugs 22 hold the catch 20 from sliding out when the door is hung, and that the ungrooved portion 25 of the cradle provides shoulders that are engaged by the toggles 24 to hold the cradle in its operative position relative to the catch arm. The toggles 24 are of sufiicient length to tension the spring-lugs 22 when at dead center or standing vertical to the hinge leaf.

When the door I0 is opened to an extent as shown by Fig. 1 the spring lugs 22 maintain the toggles 24 normally pressed inward. This forces the cradle 26 outward into engagement with a stop 28 which may be struck up from the metal of the hinge. The catch arm 20, when the door is open, normally stands substantially vertical to its hinge leaf I 6 (see Fig. 8).

The door I0 may be freely swung through the greater part of its range and no resistance is encountered to' such free movement. Resistance is encountered when the door is swung inward to such an extent that the hinge leaf M is engaged by the catch arm 20 and by pressure thereon turns said arm from its vertical position toward the latch l8. until the toggles 24 are brought to a position of dead center and the lugs 22 are fully tensioned. By this time the catch :arm has slid beneath the latch 18 and, on the door closing sufficiently to throw the toggles 24 past dead center, the latch acts as a keeper. Pressure on the toggles from the tensioning spring-lugs 22 continues their turning movement past dead center and from 4 this point the door closes automatically under control of the keeper held catch arm, the cradle 26 sliding inward (see Fig. 4).

In opening the door iittle effort is required to force the spring-lugs upward sufliciently to bring the toggles 24 back to dead center, during which time the catch arm 20 is sliding past its keeper l8. A slight further opening causes the keeper 18 to cam the catch arm 20 inward sufliciently to throw the toggies 24 past dead center again and l the tensioned spring-lugs immediately act to continue the turning movement as the catch arm withdraws from its keeper. After the toggles have passed dead center pressure from the upwardly moving catch arm aids the first opening movement but immediately thereafter the catch arm is released from its keeper and the door is free from control of the hinge. At this time the cradle slides outward beneath the lugs 22 it engages the stop lug 28 (see Fig. 3).

It is within the scope of the invention to mul= tiply the number of catch arms and keepers as may be desired and obviously the hinge may be reversed from the position on the door as de-- scribed, that is, either leaf may be secured to the door and it will operate in the manner described.

Since all carpentry work is not absoiutely accurate and the rabbeted hinge=seats in the door or the door jamb may be inclined with respect to the surface in which they are cut, some tolerance will ordinarily be allowed in the manufacture of the hinge to insure that the door will close completely under such conditions. Accordingly the parts may be so proportioned that the hinge leaves will close, under the automatic pull, to a position slightly beyond parallel when the hinge is not in use, i. e. off the door. This excess closing rangeallows for inaceurate rabbeting and permits the complete closing of doors having an inclined hinge seating. The dotted lines on Fig. 4 show the need of closing the lingo leaves past parallel when the door rabbet is inclined.

Attention is called particularly to prevention of wear by the use of the sliding cradle although the catch toggle will operate without its cradle. By rounding ofi the catch arm wear at this point is delayed. Thus the mechanism is given longer life fer effective performance of its function.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and its preferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimed as new, is: a

l. A hinge having two interpivoted leaves, an inturned lug at the outer edge of one leaf forming a keeper, a movable catch arm upon the inner face of the other leaf for engaging under said keeper when the leaves are partly closed, and power means activated by said closing of the hinge to a point where said catch arm interengages with said keeper for causing said interengaged members automatically to complete the closing movement. 7 2. In a hinge having a pair of interpivoted leaves, an inturned leg at the outer edge of one leaf forming a keeper, at least one inturned spring-lug at the outer edge of the other leaf, a toggle member having a length greater than the distance between said spring-lug and its leaf interposed between said spring-lug and its leaf and rockable to dead center to tension said spring-lug, a catch arm rigidly connected to, said toggle member at such an angle as to be upstanding from said spring-ing leaf when the hinge is open with the toggle member rocked to one side of dead center and to be substantially para l to said spring-lug leaf when the toggle member is rocked to the other side of dead center, said upstanding catch arm engaging said other leaf when the hinge is partly closed and moving under said keeper while rocking the toggle past dead center and tensioning said springlug, whereby further closing of the hinge is effected automatically by the interengaged parts.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which one end of said toggle is engaged and moves with a sliding cradle that is interposed between said toggie member and the adjacent leaf of the spring.

4. The invention according to claim 2 in which a sliding cradle is interposed between said toggle member and the adjacent leaf of the spring, and the upper and lower edges of said toggle member are seated and rock respectively, in grooves formed in the under face of said spring-lug and in the upper face of said cradle.

5. A hinge having a pair of inwardly turned spring-lugs at the outer edge of one leaf, 8, sliding cradle beneath said lugs, a catch arm located between said lugs having an off-set toggle member movably held between said lugs and said cradle, said toggle member being of sufficient length to place said spring-lugs under tension when rocked over dead center position and said oil-set being at such an angle that the catch arm is held upright when the toggle is at one side of dead center but is thrown inward substantially parallel to said leaf when the toggle is at the other side of dead center, and a lug in turned from the outer edge of the other leaf beneath which said upright catch arm engages when the hinge is partly closed whereby to rock the toggle member past dead center and thereafter effect an automatic closing, 'as the catch arm moves inward, under control of said tensioned spring-lugs. v l

6. A hinge as defined by claim 5 in which said toggle member comprises a wingat each side of the catch arm and said cradle is provided with a groove at each end in which said toggle wings may seat and rock, the ungrooved central portion of said cradle serving to hold the cradle in position as it slides beneath said spring-lugs.

'7. A hinge as defined by claim 5 in which a stop is provided to limit the outward movement of said cradle as is slides beneath said springlugs.

8. A hinge consisting of two pivoted leaves, power means on one leaf, a movable actuator engaged with said power means and co-operating therewith when moved in one direction relatively thereto to make said power means active, and means on the other leaf to be engaged by said actuator when the leaves are nearing their closed position to move it in said direction relatively to the power means and eil'ect an automatic closing of the hinge under the influence of said power means.

HARRY D. ADAMS. 

